Nightmare (Short Story)

She knew she was trapped in a nightmare. For one thing, there was this unexplainable sense of loss tugging at her heart. The pain was another far bigger reminder that this was no ordinary dream.

Her eyes searched around desperately, seeking for the only person who could help her escape.

But she couldn't find him.

Yet, just when she was about to give up hope, he appeared.

Buoyed by relief and love, she ran to him and hugged him tightly.

Everything is going to be all right now, she thought, smiling widely up at him.

Then she looked into his eyes.

And suddenly, reality crept into the dream and stung her hard.

He was the cause of this nightmare, the cause of all the tears shed at night before she went to sleep.

'Why?' she whispered to those cold, distant eyes, of a boy who once claimed he loved her more than anything else in the world.

His lips moved, but it was as if the nightmare had turned those words mute, into a silent stream of answers, excuses and lies that she would never have understood anyway.

"You'll be okay," he finally said in an audible voice.

How do you know? she wanted to ask, How can you assume that the process to being okay will not be painful? How can you do this to me when you were the one who promised me from the beginning that you would never hurt me?

But it was the first, last, and only line she heard from him before he pulled away from her and started walking.

Quick, short steps.

As if he couldn’t wait to get away from this nightmare, this dream … her.

"Wait," she called out to him. "Don't do this to us."

Don't leave me when I need you the most.

It was a silent plea, but the words echoed loudly in her heart.

He stopped, and turned to look back at her. He didn’t say anything, but she could read the unspoken answer, the unmistakable hurt in his eyes.

It is already too late.

And so she started running, harsh sobs racking her body as she sped across the endless terrain of the nightmare.

But no matter how fast she ran, it was like as though she couldn’t escape the pain. And his face seemed to have seared into her brain, no matter how hard she tried to forget.

Slow down, an inner voice whispered to her,

You have to accept the pain. Only then can you move on, one step at a time.

So she listened, she stopped, and she waited.

The pain washed over her in endless waves, overwhelming her to a point that she sank to her knees.

Tears silently streamed down her cheeks, she closed her eyes and willed herself to forget.

It felt like days, months, years, centuries. She didn’t know how long. Time seemed to have no control over this nightmare.

But when she finally opened her eyes, she knew she was strong enough to escape this cage that she’d allowed herself to be trapped in.

Slowly, she got up and started running again. This time, the pain had reduced to a dull ache in her heart.

It was still there, but she knew that in time to come, it would be forgotten.

And for the first time in a long while, she smiled.